Do I use pre-outs for additional wattage on receiver?

Question

I ordered a Yamaha 7.1 receiver. Its 120 watts per channel. Very powerful stuff. However, I'm considering of driving the 2 front channel speakers even more with an additional 120 watts. By doing this, must I use the pre-outs on the receiver to an external pre-amp or powered amp? Or should I get a stereo receiver/amp and connect that to the pre-outs?

Answer 1

If you use the pre-outs - you bypass all the power from the receiver.  Unless you find a 2-channel, 200 watt amp, you wont notice any difference.

With respect - you are a little too numbers obsessed.  If 120 watts is not loud enough, you are using poor, highly inefficient speakers.

Wait until you get the receiver. Setup the speakers, pulling them into the room and following all the audiophile-suggested rules.

Then spend at least 4 weeks getting used to it.  When I upgraded to my first mid-range Yamaha, I was shocked at how good it made my old speakers sound. Yamaha is known for being high-current and does make speakers sit up and sing.